Breath in and breath out
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What do we inhale and what do we exhale? As we were learning about the respiratory system we measured what comes out of our body when we exhale. .
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What happens to the temperature of water when you blow in it for a few minutes? Using a thermometer we measured changes in the temperature of water and discussed why it changed. .
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#theinnovationinstitute #wetlab #handson #stemeducation #biology #humanbodysystems #experimenting #falcontube #respiratorysystem #newton #newtonparents #ti2 #afterschool #homeschool #stemgirls #anatomyandphysiology #exhale #inhale #lungs #heat #co2 #o2

Heart dissection
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Ti2 student observing tissue from a preserved sheep’s heart under the microscope. We have been studying the anatomy and physiology of the human heart and proceeded to perform a heart dissection. Then, students could further explore this amazing organ and practice using dissecting tools and microscopes. .
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#theinnovationinstitute #microscopes #heart #heartdissection #sheepheart #sheepheartdissection #stereoscopes #microscopes #dissection #newtonparents #bostonparents #boston #newton #stemstudents

Physical and chemical changes
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Dry ice and hot water is always a fun experiment to perform in the lab and if you inflate a balloon with it even more. Now, what is dry ice? What happens to it when you add hot water to it? Why can you inflate a balloon when doing it? Is there a chemical or a physical change? These are some of the questions we formulated to our Ti2 students as we were having fun in the lab learning about physical and chemical changes. Hypotheses were raised and observations reported. .
#theinnovationinstitute #ti2 #chemistry #chemicalreactions #physicalchanges #chemicalchanges #dryice #caebondioxide #sublimation #stayesifmatter #molecules #atoms #stemeducation #achieve #learn #innovation #modelingmolecules #handsonstem #wetlab #experiments #hypothesis #newton #boston #newtonparents #bostonparents

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Are you a supertaster? .
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There are different ways to find out whether someone is a super taster or not. At Ti2 our students are doing all the tests and also running a PCR and restriction digest to find out their genotype for the PTC gene. .
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PTC stands for PhenylThioCarbamide and it is a compound that tastes either very bitter or tasteless. The PTC gene encodes for two alleles one is the supertaster allele (can taste the bitterness) and the other is the non-taster allele. Therefore, people can be supertaster, moderate taster or non-taster. .
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Whether someone can taste the bitterness or not depends on the genotype they have for the PTC gene which codifies for a taste receptor protein. .
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After extracting our DNA from cheek cells, running a PCR and a restriction digest we are going to find out who in the class is a supertaster. But we also stained our papillae because having many in a small area of the tongue is a phenotype that can tell us whether someone is or not a supertaster. Supertasters usually have many more taste buds than the average taster. .
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There is also this PTC paper which is used for another test. Those who are non-tasters cannot taste and those that are find it very bitter and not necessarily in a pleasant way. Have you found out if you are a supertaster?
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#ti2 #theinnovationinstitute #senses #genetics #genotype #phenotype #stemproject #tastebuds #PTCgene #PTCpaper #supertaster #miniPCR #restrictiondigest #restrictionenzymes #polymorphisms #snps #neurobiology #molecularbiology

In this class, Ti2 students measured their lung capacity (amount of air that someone can forcibly exhale after breathing as much air as possible). They also used sponges, in the lab, to explain how the lungs work. The respiratory system is just one of the many body systems we explore during this anatomy and physiology course. .
#theinnovationinstitute #humanbodysystems #lungs #repiratorysystema #lungcapacity #breathing #i hale #exhale #stemeducation #newton #chemistry #boston #wetlab

As part of the molecular biology course: a wet lab focused approach, Ti2 students learnt the basis of gel electrophoresis and paper chromatography by doing. Using the wonderful rainbow electrophoresis lab from MiniPCR @minipcr our students could visually observe the separation of different samples by size and mass to charge ratio. Moreover, they could determine in unknown samples the presence of specific dyes. In this picture Ti2 students are proudly showing their gels.
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#theinnovationinstitute #ti2 #miniPCR #molecularbiology #gelelectroohoresis #paperchromatography #chromatography #dna #rna #dyes #pippettes #wetlab #stem #stemeducation #newtonparents #bostonparents #stemparents #bostonhomeschoolers #homeschool #lab

Exploring our senses
In this lab we were exploring our somatosensory system. We have been learning how is that our senses work and how is that our brain responds to what our senses experience. We learnt about temperature adaptation, a phenomenon that tell us how we sense temperature. Moreover, knowing that the somatosensory cortex is the region of the brain that responds to our senses, we mapped our somatosensory area of the brain. This, using the Homonculus mapper experiment developed by Dr. Rebekah Corlew and Theo Walker (Fitzpatrick lab, Max Planck Florida for Neuroscience). We took sensitivity measurements and made our own cortical homunculus. Both activities were so much fun and our students learnt so much! Next class we are going to be studying the bases of pain and how pain relievers work.
#theinnovationinstitute #ti2 #senses #neurobiology #temperatureadaptation #homunculus #mappingthebrain #homunculusmapper #somatosensorysystem #somatosensation #touch #stemeducation #stem #stemstudents #stemteachers #stemteaching #laboratory #boston #newton #homeschool

Pipetting in the lab
The pipette is a tool in the wet-lab. It helps us transferring liquids and to measure them precisely. There are different kinds of pipettes. The plastic pipettes are the first ones our students at Ti2 start using. Shortly after, they learn to use micropipettes when performing molecular biology studies in the lab. .
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#ti2 #theinnovationinstitute #steminstructors #handsonstem #STEMstudents #massachusetts #homeschoolstudents #wetlab #pipettes #micropipette #molecularbiology #chemistry

Team work
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At Ti2 our students develop skills for team work. The result is always gratifying. Great pieces of work, ideas, and a unique learning process come as a result. Students empower their critical thinking together and continue to be independent. .
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The team work at Ti2 works at all levels. All of our instructors are in constant communication, making sure all of our students have a pleasant and deep learning experience. The good coordination in the instructors team is essential to support each other. In this way, bringing up new ideas to facilitate the individual learning needs of each of our students. .
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#theinnovationinstitute #ti2 #teamwork #criticalthinking #scientific #boston #newton #belmont #stemenrichment #inquarybasedlearning #innovate #learn #creativityskills #STEMeducation #afterschool #cells #bostonparents #biochemistry #stemenrichmentprogram #afterschoolboston #homeschoolboston #homeschoolstudents #massachusetts #STEMstudents #handsonstem #steminstructors

Computer programming
Ti2 students learn to read, write and decipher algorithms, during their first computer programming class.
Technology is highly dependent on computer scientists and a lot of the current research requires programming for data analysis. Programming is part of our present and will continue to be part of our future. At Ti2 our students start programming at early ages.
#ti2 #theinnovationinstitute #computerscience #computerprogramming #coding #algorithms #programs #stemeducation #stemteaching #homeschoolboston #newtonparents

Cell cycle and mitosis
Ti2 students playing an interactive computer game to learn about the cell cycle and its check-points. This computer lab was followed by a microscopy lab where we observed cells in different phases of mitosis under the microscope.
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#theinnovationinstitute #microworlds #cellcycle #mitosis #interphase #pmat #prophase #metaphase #anaphase #telophase #development #mantainance #healing #stemeducation #stemlearning #ti2 #innovate #achieve #students #newtonparents #homeschooling #homeschoolboston

This image highlights some of the many great moments we had at Ti2 during 2018. We thank you for being part of our community and wish you a happy new year full of learning. .
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#theinnovationinstitute #stemeducation #boston #bostonparents #science #engineering #wetlab #chemistry #biology #chemistry #physics #biochemistry #biophysics #students #ti2 #innovate #achieve

Students in the summer 3D printing course made their presentations around a Harvard University roundtable on topics ranging from a 3D printed moon base to 3D printed customized technical-training athletic gear. Blue Sky Creativity met with online research of current applications to produce substantive presentations.

This course would not have been possible without the generosity and considerable capacities of its developer and instructor, Ryan Truby whose PhD research aims to "blur the distinction between “material” and “machine.” Using 3D printing, specifically a technique called “embedded 3D” printing, I am interested in creating entirely soft machines and robotic systems capable of autonomous functionality." and Kelly Dare Moynihan as well as the Lewis Labs' graduate students and fellows at Harvard University's Wyss Institute under the leadership of Core Faculty member Jennifer Lewis, Sc.D,Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Ryan Truby developed Ti2's summer program; he is a PhD candidate at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Dr. Moynihan recently earned her PhD in Bioengineering under the leadership of Darrell Irvine, Professor, Departments of Biological Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT; and Harvard Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A glimpse at the work of the Irvine Lab.

Kelly recently thanked Dr. Irvine for understanding the importance of her outreach work during her defense (start at 7:27 minutes). Each of us needs a role model and mentor, and it is the generosity, commitment, and capacities of young, leading scientists and engineers such as Kelly and Ryan who make this possible. Critical to their ability to do so are the graduate advisors who recognize the delayed but transformative returns on investments fostered by the culture these PI's create in their labs in which these young grad students learn and develop. Ti2 is grateful to all of you!